Car-coupling



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE S. GAINES, OF CORONA, ALABAMA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 425,167, dated April 8, 1890.

Application filed January 30, 1890. Serial No. 338,608, (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. GAINEs, residing at Corona, in the county of Talker and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object to provide an automatic car-coupler which will be simple in construction, effective for its desired purpose, and easy to manipulate.

To this end my invention consists in cer tain novel features of construction and peculiar combinations of parts, all of which will hereinafter be fully described in the annexed specification and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved car-coupler. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of two draw-heads with my improvements applied coupled together. Fig. 3 is a detail front view of one of the draw-heads, showing the fender or guide-plate swung open to more clearly illustrate its hinged connection with the draw-head. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the coupling-link, and Fig. 5 is a view of a modified form ofsuch link.

In the accompanying drawings, the drawhead A, which may be of any ordinary construction, has its link-receiving socket an extended rearward from the mouth a, so as to admit of a free movement of the couplinglink B back of the pin during the operation of coupling or in starting the cars.

To one wall A of the draw-head A, I arrange a yielding bearing-plate 0, formed, preferably, of spring-steel, the outer end of which is bent laterally and is seated in a recess a formed in the front edge of the wall A, being secured thereto by means of the screws 1) b, as shown. plate 0 bears against the wall A, as shown at a such bearing serving to relieve the bent portion 0 of the plate from any undue strain when the link B engages the same during coupling.

D indicates a swinging fender or guide plate, which is hinged. to the front end of the wall A opposite the plate 0, the inner end (1 of The free end of the which normally abuts the coupling-pin F, ar-

ranged slightly to oneside of the center of the draw-head, as shown. The fender D is hinged in such a manner as to admit of its being quickly swung outward, and when so adjusted to automatically lock itself in position.

By reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings it will be observed that I hinge the fender D upon a pintle G, held by the strap H, secured to the outer face of the wall A and I provide the socket portion (1 of the fender witha depending lip 5 which engages a notch g in the portion 9 of the holdin -strap II, such lip d being adapted, when the fender is swung outward, to automatically drop into the notch g and lock the fender in its outward position, said socket portion (2 being arranged to have a limited vertical movement on the pintle G, whereby the fender may be slightly raised vertically to disengage said lip d from the.

notch g when it is desired to swing the fender inward. The coupling-linkBis formed with a vertical aperture 11 in its butt-end, adapted to receivethe coupling-pin of one of the drawheads, its front end being provided with a coupling-head, such head being preferably formed by beveling one face of the link, as at 10, )roviding such face at the base of the bevel-with a vertical socket 20, from which the said face is inclined outward, as at 30, the opposite face of said link being straight the entire distance, as shown at 40. The front lower face of the link is also beveled, as shown at 50, to facilitate the entrance of such link into the drawhead.

In adjusting my improved devices for operation, I swing the fenderDof one of the drawheads out (see Fig. 2) to admit of the insertion of the butt-end of the link F. Now, when the two draw-heads come together, the front end of the link will engage the face of the fender D and be deflected against the spring-plate O. The bevel-face l0, engaging the pin F, will pass the same until the recess 20 is forced into engagement with the rear face of the pin F, the spring-plate 0 serving to hold said link in locked position with the pin F. It will be observed that by my construction the link can freely move backward as the cars bump I00 together or are started, and, owing to the inclined face :0, the farther the said link is pushed in the tighter the plate 0 will bear to hold the same in position so the link cannot be accidentally pulled out.

F denotes a bent link, formed similar to the link F, which is employed when cars of different heights are to be coupled.

It will be obvious by reference to the drawings that the link may be changed so as to couple from either end of the car.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, the advantages of my improved coupler will readily appear.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to soon re by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head A and the coupling-pin F, the yielding bearing-plate U operating against the wall A of the draw-head, of the swinging i'enderfl),hinged to the wall A its inner end adapted to bear against the front face of. the coupling-pin, and the coupling-link 13, provided with a straight face 40, adapted to engage the yielding plate, and a beveled end 10, formed with a eoupling-lmrb 20, adapted to engage the pin I substantially as and f or the purpose described.

In a car-eoupling essentially as described, a swinging fender 0r guide plate hinged to one wall of the draw-head, its free end adapted to engage the front. face of the coupling-pin and close one portion of the mouth a of said draw-head, in combination with the yielding bearing-plate C, arranged on the inner face of the opposite wall of said draw-head, said fender adapted to guide the coupling-link against said plate 0 in coupling, substantially as and for thepnrpose described.

The combination, with the draw-head A, the pin F, and the yielding plate (1, secured to the inner face of the wall A, of the swinging fender-plate I), hinged to the outer end of the wall A and a detent or holding device for automatically locking said fender in its open or swung-out position, substantially as and for the purpose described.

GEORGE S. GAINES. Witnesses:

J. l). PioKnNs, R. IIeKENs. 

